BROOKFIELD -- For six months, the Brookfield school district has lived under suspicion after financial mismanagement led to overspending on the budget two years in a row.

Some residents point the blame at the district's professional leaders. Others argue the issue has been overblown and is politically motivated, claiming the town didn't adequately fund education in the first place.

On Wednesday night, the seven-member Board of Education voted unanimously to proceed with firing Schools Superintendent Tony Bivona. The 62-year-old Bivona is a 30-year educator who was hired by Brookfield in 2007.

At Wednesday night's meeting, Bivona was put on paid administrative leave by the school board. In order to fire him, the board must follow a multi-step process spelled out in a contract that went into effect last July and expires on June 30, 2016. Bivona's annual salary is $224,282.

Assistant Schools Superintendent Genie Slone is temporarily in charge of the district. The board expects to hire an interim superintendent soon, said School Board chairman Scott McCarthy.

Bivona's job performance has come under fire since the town's auditors revealed the district had overspent $1.2 million over two years, violations of both state law and the town charter. Art Colley, the district's former director of finance, technology and operations, was forced to resign in February.

Although Brookfield's school board is hardly the first to lock horns with a superintendent, actions to fire a superintendent are rare, state officials said Thursday.

In his six-year tenure at CAPSS, Cirasuolo said there have been about 10 instances where school boards considered firing their superintendents. But, he added, only one of those cases -- in Groton two years ago -- saw the school board complete the termination process.

Cirasuolo said he didn't know much about the Brookfield situation, but he's known Bivona for years.

"People have a lot of respect for him personally, and what he has done (educationally). And you can include me as someone who has a lot of respect for him," Cirasuolo said.

As for how this might affect the district's ability to attract a new superintendent, Cirasuolo said that will depend on how this plays out, and the reasons behind the final decision.

"If you are looking for a superintendency, and you are considering a place where the prior superintendent was terminated, you would ask some questions at least to get a sense of it," Cirasuolo said, noting the national pool of superintendents is dwindling based on the educational and political demands of the job.

Ray DiStephan, the former Brookfield Board of Education chairman, said the controversy has tainted the district, but he hopes a mutually agreeable resolution will soon be reached.

"I believe Tony is an outstanding educational leader, and having served with five of the seven members of the board, I know they thought so, too," said DiStephan, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee who was defeated for re-election last November.

"So that being said, they obviously feel they have some compelling reasons to do this. And I have to believe they are doing what they believe is best on well thought-out reasons.''

"Lucky for us, Brookfield is still a great place to live, and it is still a great school district to send your kids to learn," DiStephan said. "But clearly, the last few months haven't helped to enhance that reputation."

McCarthy said the board's vote came after "careful deliberation" and the process will unfold as prescribed in Bivona's contract. Resignation or a mediated settlement is a possibility, too, he said.

As for the impact on daily student learning, McCarthy said the district is in good hands.

"Certainly, the last several months have been a concern to everyone involved," McCarthy said. "Hopefully, parents and community members realize we've been addressing these matters, and making careful and deliberate decisions, trying to make sound decisions for the betterment of our schools.

Tinsley said the district and the town need to look forward.

"It's hard for anyone to feel good about the path we've been on after the discovery we had of the bad audit and the overspending," Tinsley said. "Now we need to make sure we have control of our expenses, and for those who live here in town, and will continue to live here, we need to put this behind us."